It all goes back to your worldview

I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own;
it is not for man to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:23

One of my interests is photography. A few years back I received a new Canon Rebel Xt DSLR camera. This camera is a step up from the ordinary point and shoot cameras that are so common. This new camera allowed me to interchange lenses for different situations. I could add a wide angle lens for taking group pictures or landscapes. I could add a telephoto lens for sports and close ups of people. I could also add a prime lens that works well in low light situations and often produces the best overall results. Each lens allows the camera to see a certain scene from a different perspective. I can be looking at the same scene with the same camera, but with a different lens I will get a whole different picture.

We all have lenses through which we see the world. These lenses are known as worldviews. Our worldview will influence everything. Our wordview will determine the choices we make, the conclusions we arrive at, and the priorities we elect. In many ways we can be looking at the same issue, but if our lens, our worldviews are different, we will each get a very different picture.

Jeremiah 10:23 is all about worldview and specifically about Biblical Worldview. This is a statement that runs contrary to the worldview of so many. "A man's life is not his own."

Do you believe that? Most people I know, see their life as their own. They will choose to do what they want to do with life, with their money, with their children, and with their time. They have not bought into the idea that we are stewards of what God has entrusted to us.

But if I believe that my life is not my own, my money is not my own, my children are not my own, and my time is not my own. What I do with these things is not my decision to make. It is up to me to discover what God's will is and then to follow that will.

To give you an example of the difference worldview will make. The debate about abortion. Pro-choice supporters will say that the woman has the right to do with her body what she wants. But if you start with a Biblical worldview your body and life are not your own, that argument falls flat on its face. Of course Pro-choice supporters are not approaching the issue from what the Bible has to say, but from what they think is best.

So often we debate the conclusions that we make - whether it be politics, theology, or everyday life. But unless we go back to our worldviews, our debate is not going to make much of a difference. If someone is using a different lens they are going to see a different picture. The issue is not about changing the picture, but changing the lens.